The Truth: Jesus said, "I AM the Truth"

@Renkon [quote]Don't all religions and the great souls preach the same ideology?[/quote]

Maybe, but Jesus is no religious figure even though man tries to make Him out to be. He is the Son of God and His testimonies are true. Jesus hates man made religion.

@GodSpeed63 What about all the great Prophets, Apostles, Guru's and others....For eg. Buddha, Prophet Muhammad, Moses.... Aren't they too sons of God? What about us? Are we his children? Just trying to understand.

@Renkon [quote]For eg. Buddha, Prophet Muhammad, Moses.... Aren't they too sons of God?[/quote]

None except Moses.

[quote] What about us? Are we his children?[/quote]

You are only God's children by your choice. Jesus says in John 3:3 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." He also says in John 3:5 & 6, "5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. " Jesus also says in John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." Religion has nothing to do with becoming born again. When you become born again, you enter into a personal relationship with God and not have to worship Him through religious practices. He hates man made religion.

@Renkon Hi, friend. I noticed your great questions. Sons of God is a term used of several people groups in the Bible. The simple answer to whyChristiansare called sons of God, is because Christians are born of God. That makes us “sons” (it also includes daughters) of our Heavenly Father.

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called thesonsofGod: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.

@Renkon Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature, it forms the basis of almost every religion except for biblical Christianity. Proverbs 14:12 tells us that “there is a way that [u]seems[/u] right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Salvation by works, seems right to men, which is why it is the predominantly held viewpoint. That is exactly why biblical Christianity is so different from all other beliefs—it is the only one that teaches salvation is a gift of God and not of works, as God said in His Word, “For it is by [u]grace[/u] you are saved, through faith—and NOT of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God—NOT by works, so that no one can boast!!” (Ephesians 2:8–9). God the Father made the Plan of Salvation and it is not up to man to mess with it or change it to his own desires. We do not have God's permission, not has He given us authority to do that. God's Plan of Salvation, is a perfect, flawless plan that works, as it comes from God. God did not appoint nor approve, [b]man[/b] to make any changes to it. The term "grace", means UN-earned favor from God. You do not work for salvation. That plan will not work, nor get one to heaven. God said so. Salvation is a gift from God. One cannot earn a gift. It is given out of love, to the receiver of it.

Another reason why salvation by works is the predominantly held viewpoint, is that natural or unregenerate man, does not fully understand the extent of his own sinfulness, or of God’s holiness. Man’s heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), and God is infinitely Holy (Isaiah 6:3). The deceit of our hearts is the very thing that colors our perception of the extent of that deceit and is what prevents us from seeing our true state, before a God whose holiness, we are also unable to fully comprehend. But the truth remains that our sinfulness and God’s holiness, combine to make even our best efforts to appear as “filthy rags” before a Holy God (Isaiah 64:6; cf. 6:1–5). So while salvation by works might be the predominantly held viewpoint, it is not an accurate one, biblically. The Bible contains abundant evidence of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9). We either believe and put our trust in God, or man, but we can't do both.

@Renkon Absolutely not. Some worship and bow down to manmade idols/false gods. What did God say about this? Here's what he said...IDOLATRY is breakjng the Second Commandment, yet many do.

@LadyGrace But "1 John 3:1 B" do not say 'Christians' specifically. It says 'Us'. So doesn't it mean 'Humanity' as a whole? There were and are followers of many prophets that came before and after. Aren' they too sons of God?

@Renkon [quote]But "1 John 3:1 B" do not say 'Christians' specifically. It says 'Us'. So doesn't it mean 'Humanity' as a whole? [/quote]

No.

[quote]There were and are followers of many prophets that came before and after. Aren' they too sons of God?[/quote]

Didn't you read my last reply to you? Read what it says.

[quote] Jesus hates man made religion.[/quote]@GodSpeed63

Not true. Biblical scholars agree that Jesus primary mission was to reform his church, yes, but he never made a statement about organized religion. What he too offense to was the exclusivity formed by the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin. They created so many minor laws and rituals that worship[ and ritual cleanliness left out those who most needed their faith. Jesus didn’t hate Rome or The Jewish faith; he took exception to those who would keep glory and goods for their own uses, forsaking the needy who were the rightful beneficiaries.

And we’re not trading memorized Bible verses here, because you’d first have to show a proficiency in about 6 other areas to properly look at the book.

@Graylight [quote]Not true. Biblical scholars agree that Jesus primary mission was to reform his church, yes, but he never made a statement about organized religion.[/quote]

Read Matthew 23.

@Graylight [quote]Not true. Biblical scholars agree that Jesus primary mission was to reform his church, yes, but he never made a statement about organized religion.[/quote]

What Biblical Scholars would that be? If you don't know much. Why would Jesus's primary mission, be to reform the very church that He established? There was nothing wrong with His establishment. It was people, who messed it up, by wanting to set up their own standards for salvation. Wanting to do everything their way instead of God's way. The whole purpose of Jesus coming to Earth, was to introduce us to God the Father, His position on sin, the standard we all needed for salvation, and how to have eternal life in heaven, so we wouldn't dare miss it, because if we miss that, we've missed everything.

@LadyGrace Jesus didn't establish the Jewish faith and he was a practicing Jew for the entirety of his life as far as anyone's aware. The hierarchy and worship of that faith would be all he'd ever known.

You don't really think Jesus was a Christian, do you? I mean, the name itself excludes the notion.

@Graylight [quote]Jesus didn't establish the Jewish faith and he was a practicing Jew for the entirety of his life as far as anyone's aware[/quote]

You haven't a clue of what you just said. Therefore the Truth is not in you.

@GodSpeed63 Here's what I said: Jesus was a Jew. It was the only faith he ever practiced, it was the only faith he ever knew. He operated under Pharisees and the laws of the Sanhedrin and his local temple. His life was consumed with laws for ritual cleanliness, and the purity of the Jewish line.

Jesus would never have known Christianity because it wasn’t established until decades after his death. The tales of his life weren’t even written down for 50 years.

These are facts. This is what’s known. It’s what can be surmised when examining the life and times from a 360 perspective. Do you seriously believe anything different?

@Graylight [quote] Jesus was a Jew.[/quote]

I've read what you said but you still have no clue of what you're talking about. Jesus was never a Jew or any kind of religious figure what-so-ever. He is the Son of the living God and the creator of the heavens and the earth.

[quote]Jesus would never have known Christianity because it wasn’t established until decades after his death. The tales of his life weren’t even written down for 50 years.[/quote]

You forget, Jesus is the Son of God and He rose from the tomb alive. He is living today and forever more.

@GodSpeed63 Jesus was born a Jew. He practiced Judaic law. He died a Jew and a prophet. Early Christianity is generally reckoned by church historians to begin with the ministry of Jesus ( c. 27–30) and end with the First Council of Nicaea. It literally wasn't even a thing during his lifetime.

My God, is this where the disconnect comes from?

Incidentally, the resurrection story of the 4 gospels doesn't even jibe. The women fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone - a curiously abrupt ending to Mark’s gospel, the first thought to be written.

@Graylight [quote]Incidentally, the resurrection story of the 4 gospels doesn't even jibe. The women fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone - a curiously abrupt ending to Mark’s gospel, the first thought to be written.[/quote]

Whether you agree with the Gospels or not, they're still the true accounts of the resurrection.

@Renkon [quote]Incidentally, the resurrection story of the 4 gospels doesn't even jibe. The women fled from the tomb and said nothing to anyone - a curiously abrupt ending to Mark’s gospel, the first thought to be written.[/quote]

That's not what the Bible says. Your story is way off. And the resurrection story of the four gospels do jibe. They didn't even flee from the tomb. Your account doesn't match up with God's Word.

@LadyGrace [quote]That's not what the Bible says. Your story is way off. And the resurrection story of the four gospels do jibe. They didn't even flee from the tomb. Your account doesn't match up with God's Word.[/quote]

Amen, sister, amen!!

@GodSpeed63 Four separate accounts cannot be four truths. Jesus isn’t even resurrected in Mark – that’s true, too?

@Graylight [quote]Four separate accounts cannot be four truths. Jesus isn’t even resurrected in Mark – that’s true, too?[/quote]

Read it again. Mark that is.

@GodSpeed63 It’s not about reading. It’s about reading with comprehension.

[quote]In the Gospel of Mark, you may have come across an unusual note near the end of the book. For example, between 16:8 and 16:9, the ESV includes these words: “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.” The NIV and CSB include similar notes at the same place. Although there aren’t many places where such an intrusive note about several verses disrupts the text, this information can still be startling.

To put it in perspective, it’s important to know that including a note here is not a recent development in the history of the church. Christians have known for centuries that Mark 16:9–20 might not have originally been part of Mark’s Gospel.
One brother in Christ, a monk named Ephraim who lived in the 900s, wrote these words in a manuscipt of the Gospels between Mark 16:8 and 16:9: “In some of the copies, the evangelist finishes here, up to which (point) also Eusebius of Pamphilus made canon sections. But in many the following is also contained.”

We know about Ephraim because we still have several manuscripts he made. Some still have his signature. We can identify others by his handwriting and craftsmanship. Ephraim wasn’t the original author of these particular words. He regularly copied marginal notes that were already in the manuscripts he was using, and this note was one of them. And Ephraim’s manuscript isn’t the only copy of Mark that has this note between 16:8 and 16:9. There are at least 11 others in Greek. The note probably predates 10th-century Ephraim by a few hundred years.

[i]https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/new-testament/the-strange-ending-of-the-gospel-of-mark-and-why-it-makes-all-the-difference/[/i][/quote]

Mark is thought to be the first Gospel of the four to have been written. The Gospels only grow and become more elaborate and targeted with each iteration.

@Graylight [quote]It’s about reading with comprehension.[/quote]

Without the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in side you, you can never comprehend the Truth in the Gospels, Graylight.

@GodSpeed63 Truth is in the Universe. Truth is everywhere. And truth doesn't look like your tiny and narrow vision of it.

The sign of any good religion or faithful follower is the unabashed examination, investigation and questioning of their faith in order to better practice it. They aren't afraid of what they may find; they have no precious fragile arrangement that must be shown just so.

You may live in darkness, but remember that darkness is your choice.